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2x GT-ax11000 with wireless backhaul?

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dwadj

Regular Contributor
Hi All,

I've been using a GT-ac5300 for several years now, but my kids are complaining about wireless gaming issues with high pings.
Kid one has a room right above the position of the GT-ac5300 (just concrete floor in between) and is reaching some 250 mbps wireless
Kid2 and 3 Especially the one that is too far from the router (only 90 mbps connection speed)...
We have a gigabit ethernet connection so speedtest in close range (same room) of AC5300 results in 500/650 mbps on samsung galaxy s20, on Iphone we hit 850.
Wired on the routers lan port 940 to 970 mbps.
Since i have an old RT-ac68u lying around i thougth i use this in AiMesh mode as node (wireless backhaul (5ghz on node and 5Ghz2 on main) because wired is not an option)
Together with the GT-AC5300 we get for Kid1 still connecting direct to main router on first 5Ghz band with 250 mbps, kid2 about 125 mbps on node (however aimesh connection is fantastic at -66 db between main and node),
Since the issue was for rooms kids 2 & 3, we did some other setups
Next test was using different powerlines, to connect main and node with wired backhaul.
With a tp-link Av2000 we would get about 170 mbps
With a devolo magic 2 g.hn 2400 we could hit 240 mbps
However both powerline connections were not stable and to many dropouts so no go.

Then i bought a GT-AX11000 to replace the GT-ac5300, my observations are that the ax11000 has little less powerful wireless signal, however more stable and no high ping peaks (>2000 ms) for now.
Paired together with RT-ac68u as aimesh node, a little less speedy as with the gt-ac5300 but stable no dropouts. (110 mbps)
But hey we got the GT-ac5300, so why not use this as wireless aimesh node..., because for some reason the GT-ac5300 will not work as node, i tried several times hard reset, add as aimesh node, and then after restart of the GT-ac5300 it keeps looping it's 2nd 5ghz band on/off ... so not possible to add in Aimesh...

Now i'm thinking of getting a RT-AX92u or a second ax11000, both are 3 band so wireless backhaul can be done on 3rd band and second band is used as wireless band for clients, so performance wise it should be at least 2x faster, since backhaul and clients are on separate bands.
The benefit of a 2nd ax11000, it has all wifi6 bands whereas the Ax92u only has it's 3rd band as wifi6 others are wifi5, or maybe and XT8 (all wifi6 bands)

Question i have now, what settings can i use on the wireless backhaul to get max performance, since both devices support wifi6, i can enable all those settings like 802.11ac Multi-User MIMO, OFDMA/802.11ax MU-MIMO,
Does Qos also limits (distribute) the throughput to the wireless nodes or only to the clients?
Thx
 
If I'm understanding your post correctly and If you have two 'spare' routers, I would not use them in an AiMesh configuration to solve the problems you're stating.

Rather, use the most powerful/stable router as your main router. Use the other two as Media Bridges to each of your son's computers. Plug in their gaming PC's to the Media Bridges and get the highest performance possible.
 
Mmm yes but also on the 2nd floor where kids rooms are they don't have any ethernet connection to the 2nd router, so it's wireless connection and therefore Media Bridges cannot be used.... or you use an additional router on the second routers lan to again have wireless....
 
If you were using a single router before, why won't it work now?

Use the two media bridges for the kids that need it (lowest pings, highest speeds). Everyone else will still be able to connect to the main router.

The newer routers have greater throughput and much lower latency. Signal strength isn't the (only) indicator of network health.

How big is your home in SqFt, and how many levels? How flexible is the router placement relative to the (main) users?

Don't forget that if you can use the Media Bridge(s) in a more central location (rather than inside each kid's room), and wire two or more rooms/kids to it, the benefits for all will be tremendous. Less WiFi traffic (to weaker clients) will benefit not only your network but your neighbor's networks too.

Don't use PLA's. Use as few APs and AiMesh nodes as possible (none, is ideal, if possible). Remember, wireless AiMesh nodes are simply Repeaters. And, while in use, repeaters will effectively cut your speed in half for each one in use concurrently.

Think outside the box. Use all the tools at your disposal.

New, main, router. Fully reset to factory defaults.

Test for and use the best Control Channels for the main router above (do this before moving to the next steps below).

Optimize the location/orientation and z-Height of that router to give the most balanced coverage possible, with the best signal going to the most important devices.

Use Media Bridges where they are most effective (i.e. where the main router's signal is high(er), and where you can easily run Ethernet cables to from wired-capable devices).

Do you have 1Gbps symmetrical ISP speeds? If so, forget about using QoS within the router (unless you want to drastically reduce your paid-for speeds. The hardware is too underpowered to do this effectively).

Unless you wire either every wired capable device and/or every AiMesh node you want to install, (at least) the WiFi part of the network won't ever be 'perfect'. Balance is the key here.

When testing for Control Channels (above), don't pick the highest speeds, pick the channel which gives you the lowest latency on your network from all/most of your connected client devices. Same for when tuning the location/orientation and z-height of the router too (always choose the lowest latency, not the highest bandwidth, particularly to a single client/device).

Test with a range of client devices, for each change you make. Keep great notes (use a spreadsheet). Do not use a WiFi 'app' analyzer (waste of time, with hardly any benefits if you're truly looking to find the best channel possible for your specific router/network/client mix).

The following links may be helpful to get your network to a good/known state and then make meaningful changes as needed, afterward.

[Wireless] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset | Official Support | ASUS Global

Fully Reset / Best Practice Setup / More

Current Order of Recommended Routers Late 2021

Report - 2x RT-AX68U upgrade over 2x RT-AC86U in wireless backhaul mode

RT-AX86U vs. RT-AX88U

386.1 Final 2x RT-AX86Us 2.5GbE Backhaul

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